AN: I don't own Criminal Minds. This is the sequel to Emily's Goodbye. I have at least 13 chapters for this one.
When Monday came around, Emily had her itinerary set for the next three and a half months. She was going to enjoy Italy, Greece, China, Japan, and Australia before heading on a fourteen day cruise in the Caribbean. Then she would come home and decide if she wanted the job, for Interpol, in London.
Today was going to be her last day as an FBI agent. She knew that when she told Penelope, the girl was going to throw her a goodbye party; even though she had already said her goodbyes. She hoped this one would be easier than Friday night was.
As she walked into the bullpen, she saw gifts on her desk to remember each of her teammates and family by. There was also the standard folder of exit interview forms on her desk from Strauss. When she tried to sit down at her desk, Penelope grabbed her from behind and dragged her to her office.
"Pen, what are you doing?" Emily asked as Penelope locked her office door. "JJ, what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be on your honeymoon?"
"We are going to have girl time since you will be gone for the next three and a half months," Penelope said as she sat in her desk chair and started up her 'babies'.
"Will and I decided to wait a few days, plus he knew that I wanted to be here for your last day," JJ said as she pulled Emily down onto the couch with her.
"So I take it, Miss Penelope that you have a goodbye party planned for the end of the day?" Emily asked as she looked up at her friend's sad face.
"Yep and everyone knows that you are doing your exit paperwork in here with JJ and I," Penelope said. "Any clue what you're going to do when you come back from your long vacation?"
"Well, I planned on visiting my family for a bit but then I have to figure out what I want to do with the rest of my life," Emily said as she got started on her exit papers.
As the day drug on, Emily thought about all the memories she had had with her family; many of which were right here in this very building. She had finished her exit papers around noon, but hadn't had the heart to turn them into Strauss just yet. Emily knew that she would enjoy the party if she turned the papers in before it. That way she was just a civilian saying goodbye for a little while, to her family, not leaving forever. At three, Emily decided that she needed to take her papers and badge to Strauss and then she would go make sure the boys were ok.
"Going to turn your papers in?" JJ asked as she watched Emily stretch.
"Yea and then I'm going to go up and see the guys," Emily said as she looked at Penelope. "I'll see you two in the conference room in a half an hour."
Strauss' Office
Emily couldn't believe it. The Section Chief had just said that she was going to be missed by everyone here.
"Thank you m'am," she said as she stood to leave the office.
Strauss had even said that she was an asset to both the team and the FBI. She seriously couldn't believe it. Strauss calling her an asset was like Morgan finally telling Garcia that he was in love with her.
Hotch's Office
Hotch had been pacing for ten minutes without saying what was on his mind. Rossi knew that something was up but had been waiting for his friend of twelve years to actually vocalize what was wrong.
"I'm in love with her," Hotch said as he stopped pacing and sat in his desk chair.
"You're in love with Beth? Good for you," Rossi said as he moved to clap Hotch on the back.
"Not Beth," Hotch said as he put his head in his hands.
"Who then?" Rossi asked as he looked out at the other two guys working out in the bullpen.
"Emily," Hotch said as he glanced out at her desk in the seemingly empty bullpen. "Ever since she got back and I told her to let me know if she was having a bad day."
"Finally, you've admitted it to yourself. So when are you going to tell her?" Rossi said as he sat back down in one of the visitor chairs. "Garcia said that she leaves Wednesday for Italy and won't be back for three and a half months."
"I can't tell her yet. I still have to find some way to break up with Beth," Hotch said as he grabbed for a case file to start working on.
"You find a way to let Beth down gently then I'll see how I can help you with Emily," Rossi said as he left Hotch's office.
As she got into the bullpen, she spotted Rossi coming out of Hotch's office with a smirk on his face. She headed into the break room to grab her two coffee mugs that she had kept in the office, before heading to her desk to clean it out.
"Who should we hit in the head today?" She heard Morgan ask Reid before she headed to her desk.
"JJ and Penelope should be headed up here in a few minutes," Emily said as she sat down to clean out her desk. "Pen's throwing me a goodbye party. Physics magic again, Spencer?"
"Yep," Reid said as he gathered the needed supplies for the magic trick.
"So where are you headed first, Princess?" Morgan asked as he started helping her clean her desktop off.
"Italy, Greece, China, Japan, and Australia; spending two weeks in each country," Emily said as she threw a notepad into the shred pile. "Then I'll be home for a day before heading out on a fourteen day Caribbean cruise."
"You three head up to the conference room while JJ gets Rossi and I get Boss man," Penelope said as she and JJ walked into the bullpen before heading to the guy's offices.
"Too late, kid," Morgan said as he and Emily head up to the conference room.
"Pen, what's going on? I thought this was my going away party," Emily asked as they all sat down in the conference room. "No decorations; that's unusual for when you throw a party."
"This is just an impromptu meeting about the party," Penelope said as she handed out the invites that she had made up. "The real party is tonight at the bar and there will be decorations. JJ and Boss man, kids and significant others are welcome."
"Ok, who all did you invite if you had special invites made up?" Emily asked Penelope as the others began to file out of the conference room.
"Everyone in Quantico and the contact list of your email account," Penelope said as she pushed Emily towards her desk. "You have ten minutes to finish cleaning your desk then you, JJ, and I are going shopping."
